Not only will creatine help you pump out more reps at the end of a set, but it can also help reduce your rest time between sets. Creatine is essentially the major energy substrate your muscles use for sets under 15 reps. More creatine means more quick energy available for a set and less reliance on muscle glycogen for energy. Muscle glycogen breakdown leads to lactic acid production, which fatigues the muscle. If there is less lactic acid to buffer, then the muscle is recharged and ready to go sooner. This is one reason why you can do more reps with a given weight and recover faster between sets.

For many, the benefits of beginning to supplement with reatine can be as much as five new pounds of lean body mass within a few weeks. And creatine’s ability to bolster water retention inside muscle fibers may also have a long-term muscle-building effect. To take advantage of all three creatine benefits (size, strength and recovery), take five grams before and after your workout. – FLEX